


Orange Marks and Parthenons

by usssamwell



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: 5k deep into it, AND YET HERE I AM, I rarely write oc stuff?, M/M, Soulmate AU, honestly these losers came around from wanting to make a ship name for peeniss, like damn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-12 22:06:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13556526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usssamwell/pseuds/usssamwell
Summary: Soulmate AU where you can talk with your soulmate by writing on your arm.





	Orange Marks and Parthenons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Piehead](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piehead/gifts).



> Carter and Paulius were created after a two hour chat with my friend. They somehow got out of control and now here we are with a soulmate AU dedicated to them. 
> 
> SO here you go, I hope you like it, Tony.

As the story goes, and as far as historians can figure out, the origin of “the gift” can be linked back to eleventh century France, where two people by the names of Abélard and Héloïse first met. Originally tutor and student they developed a bound so deep they would be remembered for centuries but torn apart by convention and family they were kept apart from each other for the remainder of their days. Achingly close that it hurt their souls just to breathe the same air. They conversed through hidden letters. Forbidden confessions of love and loyalty when in truth both were confined to Godly duties. There were only several known letters passed between these lovers but it is believed that they were the original blessed pair. The ones God, or Gods (however you wish to perceive the universe that is), blessed with the ability to talk through the script on their arms. So that the other could look down and see, with fondness, the hand of their beloved and never feel alone again. No matter how torn apart or far away they were, they would never be truly parted. Although they never got back together during life they were buried side by side years later, where they were finally reunited at last. Since then all people are blessed with this bond. Whether it be romantic or platonic there is someone out there to whom they will matter most. The marks could start at any time, in the form of letters or drawings, poems or symbols. No one knows why this started in the first place or even why it started when it did. Scholars have searched their entire lives trying to figure out why, but in the end none of it really matters because somewhere, out there, is someone who will love you.

He was four when the marks first started appearing on his skin. Just little dashes of orange and blue marker pen but Paulius had no idea where they had come from. He had been playing with his toy cars all day. Not his marker pens. So he did the only thing he could think of; he ran to the bathroom and tried to scrub his arms as hard as he could. His mom hated him drawing on his arms. The last time it happened he wasn’t allowed to go to the park and he really wanted to go to the park Saturday. It was just going to be him and his dad. No brother or sister this time. His dad had promised him! Ten minutes later his mom found him in the bathroom washing his arm for the sixth time but the marks were still there. It confused him when his mom wasn’t mad. She didn’t yell, like she did when he used to draw on his arms, but instead took him in her arms and carried him to his room.

“Mažuti,” his mother began. “I think it’s time I told you a story. Years ago there were two people who loved each other very much but their families didn’t want them to be together. Someone was watching them and decided to give them a gift. A way of talking to each other no matter how far they travelled apart from one another. They would talk for hours and no one knew about it and, years later, they were finally able to be together. All because of the gift that stranger had given them. Now we are all born like those pair of lovers, with a way to talk to one another. Do you understand?”

“A little,” he murmured.

“Well that’s why I’m not mad about your arms. It’s someone talking to you.”

“But I’m too young to love someone! I still want to play with my toys and they used orange, I hate orange.”

His mom chuckled before holding him tight. “You’re definitely not going anywhere, you have to help me go shopping tomorrow.”

The rest of the day he spent in the kitchen with his mom, helping her prepare dinner. They were so busy that he didn’t even notice the marks leaving his arms. That evening he paid more attention to his siblings arms and saw the flowers pressed again his sister’s skin and he wondered why anyone would ever want to talk like that.

 

-

 

Paulius didn’t take much notice about the doodles and marks that littered his arms in the years to come. There was often notes about school or random drawings on the back of hands. Nothing meant for him, nothing he was interested in reading. He was happy to go a few more years ignoring the doodles upon his arm but the one currently on his arm was glaring up at him and he couldn’t let it go. All pointy and red. Reaching for the pen on his desk he made quick work of covering it up, not wanting anybody else to see that awful logo on his body. They would laugh at him. Especially his friends at the rink. It wasn’t long however until there was a new scrawl upon his arm.

_hey! what’s wrong with the Devils?!_

Leaning back against his headboard Paulius realised that this was the first time in which his soulmate had ever addressed him directly. Over hockey.

**_nothing,_ ** he replied, **_but my friends cannot see it or they’ll make me sit on the bench_ **

_then they are sucky friends the Devil’s rule!_

**_sure whatever_ **

Sighing, Paulius kicked his feet off the edge of the bed and waddled down the hall to wash it off. He had thought he had gotten all of it but clearly his soulmate made left him another message.

_is it fun playing hockey? i was wondering_

Reaching for the pen again he scribbled his response and then wrapped himself as tight as he could. So tight he could barely see the end of his nose, let alone his forearm.

 

-

 

**_it's the best feeling in the world_ **

Carter had stared down at his arm for a while now. Okay so he had a test to sleep for but Ms Bronn’s math test wasn’t anywhere as near important as the small black words against his arm. The way the words connected in a way he had never mastered in school, the neatness of it all. He knew what it meant. His dad had told him all about it last year. The whole soulmate thing. He didn’t quite believe it at first, after all he has been drawing on his arms for years but never once did he ever get anything in return. It seemed like a bunch of crap. Until now. It was weird looking down at someone else’s handwriting on his skin. Someone who was made just for him.

He wasn’t exactly sure yet how he felt about that. The idea that the universe was taking the choice away from him. It was another thing he couldn’t control and he didn’t like it. Why couldn’t the universe ask him if it was what he wanted? At least the person seemed like to like hockey, whoever they were. The thought of joining the class at the rink near his was tempting. His parents had taken him to so many games and he loved it but couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to play it. Plus his dad had wanted him to take up at least one sport so it might as well be something he liked, right? If his “soulmate” liked playing hockey it must be good, he decided.

Rolling over he switched off his lamp and tried to get to sleep before it would be too late. The words were smudged when he woke up.

 

-

 

Unfortunately Carter did not do well in his math test but he did get his first hockey stick instead. He took to hockey quite quickly and he absolutely loved it. The rush on the ice, playing with his friends; it was amazing. He didn’t talk with his soulmate a lot though. He still continued to write notes to himself but never a direct message. In return his soulmate, whoever they were, was slowly starting to litter their arms with more and more crap. Last week Carter had looked down at his arm to see a direct replica of the greek temple Mr Fargus had been teaching earlier that day. Which had led him to a small panic about whether or not his soulmate was in his class but he soon dismissed that. None of the people in his class liked hockey that much apart from Brent and Brent’s soulmate was his little sister.

The latest string of crap that littered his arm however was some mushy crap he had never even heard of. It was all wordy and loving and he was a bit annoyed to be honest. Why in the world was his soulmate writing this crap so it showed up on his arm? He glared at the words for most of the day and only stopped during dinner because his siblings are the literal worst.  

“Really?” Sammy scoffed, glancing down at his brother’s arm. “You’re what? Eleven, and they are already quoting Shakespeare at you?”

“What?”

“That crap on your arm. Sure as hell ain’t your chicken scratch.”

“Samuel,” warned their mother.

“Okay but Mom, look! He’s got a literal love letter written on his arm.” Sammy pointed at the looping words on Carter’s arm, who really wished his soulmate learnt to cover up. That or at least didn’t send the love poem crap right before dinner.

“It’s okay, Sweetie,” his mom smiled. “You’re young. It’s cute.”

Sighing Carter let his arm drop to the table, trying to ignore the shit eating grin on his sister’s face. “It’s not cute. I don’t even know what it is. We don’t talk anyway, they probably couldn’t find any paper.”

His dad snorted. Carter wanted the table to swallow him up. They could have drawn dicks or something like any more person his age but no. His soulmate likes to drawn old as shit buildings and write some weird sounding crap so his family laughed at him.

“It’s from Hamlet, Carts,” Jennifer smiled across the table. “It’s from his love letter to Ophelia!”

“Still sounds shit.”

“Carter!”

“Sorry, mom,” he sighed, “but it does.”

“Excuse you! ‘Doubt thou the stars are fire’ is one of the best lines in Shakespeare!” His sister shouted. Rolling his eyes Carter shrugged it off and continued to push around his green beans. There was no point talking about it more until after dinner.

When dinner finished he ran upstairs and locked his door, so none of his stupid siblings would barge in unexpectedly. Carter wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do yet but he knew the marker he had grabbed before he slumped onto his bed was going to be a factor in it. He didn’t even know what he was going to write. Something like “stop writing sappy crap on my arm” maybe? Or perhaps that was too harsh. It wasn’t bad really, he just didn’t understand it and there was no reason for that kind of stuff being sent to him. Plus Shakespeare was boring. Why couldn’t it be like some cool Greek shit like the temple? Sighing he popped the cap off the pen and scribbled the first thought that popped into his head.

_Really? Shakespeare?_

Carter stared at his arm, waiting for some form of reply. It didn’t take long for the delicate swoops to start forming on his arm, although this time it looked for like a green felt tip than a usual pen.

**_Yeah? We did it in class today I liked it_ **

_I bet you like that Romeo & Juliet crap then _

**_no they were idiots_ **

Laughing to himself Carter was grateful his “soulmate” had some common sense. It was weird to think that he barely knew anything about this person he was meant to be connected to. The person that liked playing hockey and reading romantic crap but hated the biggest romance story out there. Honestly he didn’t buy into the whole soulmate thing. He had seen how stuff like that had ruined his grandparents, the ones that never talked to each other when he was around. How Grandma had a mark on her arm that never went away. A mark that Granddad didn’t have. His parents seemed happy enough and his sister’s arms were always covered in flowers. He wasn’t sure he was ready for what everything that entailed being “soulmates” with someone. That’s probably why he hadn’t made the effort to talk to them as much as he could have. Why he locked his door just to make fun of them for liking Shakespeare. He could talk though. He could definitely talk.

_so what other things do you like?_

 

-

 

The years flew by and as they did the pair of them became closer and closer. They learnt about each other’s hobbies. How Paulis liked romance poems and drawing things, especially buildings, and how Carter actually liked playing guitar enough that sometimes he wrote songs. Both of them wore glasses but Carter’s were square whereas Paulius wore those stupid little hipster ones. Carter knew that his soulmate had trouble talking sometimes. He would go days without a reply on the other end, sometimes only getting a shaky scribble instead of the delicate loops and swirls he was used to. On his end Paulius knew that his soulmate sometimes snapped back when he didn’t mean it. That things happened and he didn’t know how else to deal with it. They both played hockey, they knew that. Somehow Carter still didn’t know which team his soulmate liked but they didn’t mind him talking about the Devils so it didn’t really matter all that much. They both knew they were the same age and that Carter was from Jersey, which Paulius loved to tease it for, and that Paulius was from Wisconsin of all places. It was a good thing they had going. Even if, after everything, they did not know each other’s name.

It was sometime after Carter’s fifteenth birthday that he started to feel butterflies in his stomach every time the words popped up on his skin. Every drawing of a building edge or tree or flower made his heart give a little flutter and he hated to admit why. So he hadn’t been so big on the soulmate thing at the start but somehow they had managed to grow on him. With their kind words and the chirping him just as viciously as his teammates when he told them something that happened during a game or at school. Giving him crap for playing guitar like a hipster. Making Jersey jokes at him constantly. It was nice knowing that no matter how annoying his siblings were or how mad he got with school or his friends there was always someone he could go talk to. Someone that wouldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.

Paulius, on the other hand, was gone almost instantly. He knew that he loved his soulmate. Would love them no matter what and did from the first message but as the years he became to realise how deep his love actually was. At first he thought perhaps it was one of those famed platonic bonds but soon he found himself humming to songs he didn’t even know the tune to. Waiting to hear the latest useless history fact that his soulmate had read that day or some new Greek word he had learnt the meaning of. If he could write near as well as his soulmate he’d write poems or songs about him. Paulius tried to do it in his journal anyway but instead he drew old temples and statues that reminded him of the boy from Jersey with the rough handwriting.

They talked every day. Helping each other through the horrors that are high school and up through to the start of college. Paulius kept making fun of Carter for being in the year below him, calling him a baby. Even though Carter kept reminding him that he was only three months younger and he could still kick his ass. When Carter applied for college he didn’t even look at Yale, where his soulmate was. Both of them wanted to hold off meeting each other a little while longer and honestly they understood that they needed different things for their future. Deep down though Paulius was certain that if his soulmate could see him that they would be disappointed. Carter was just scared he couldn’t give them enough. They were, in truth, just fools. So in the end Carter ended up at Samwell as a forward and Paulius ended up at Yale. Both on the hockey teams they had come to love. They wondered when they would meet. If they would meet. If they would even recognise each other. Reasonably they knew they would meet at a match eventually but were doing their best to dance around the subject.

Carter’s (or Ennie as he had become known as) first match against Yale however approached faster than he had liked. The Yale team had arrived already and their game was tonight. Jack had had them practising all morning and he was beat. He just wanted to go and get a coffee and then maybe just collapse until he had to be at Faber. Standard pregame ritual. Which was going fine until he had walked into a human brick wall.

“Watch it! I’m walking here!” Carter frowned before horror quickly washed over his face. God, could he sound any more like a stereotype? The guy that had bumped into him hadn’t even said anything. Was probably too busy thinking he was a weirdo. Sighing he looked up and was met with the most beautiful man he had ever seen in his entire life. He had the curliest brown hair and these silly round glasses. He looked like a vision and this vision was slowly leaning into him.

“Hey,” whispered the man in front of him, a smirk plastered on his face. “I’m walking here.”

Normally he would get mad but that was the worst Jersey accent he had ever heard in his entire life. Bursting into laughter the guy laughed alone with him and all the tension that had been there before just seemed to disappear. “Sorry,” he smiled, holding his hand out. “I’m Carter.”

“Paulius,” the other guy smiled. “I’m sorry, I was too busy sketching. You don’t know where the nearest coffee shop is, do you? I’m so lost.”

“Not used to the campus, huh?” Carter laughed. “Come on, Annie’s is this way.”

 

-

 

“Least you didn’t grow up with the last name Enniss! You know how many people used to think I was saying Ellis? Like the island?”

Talking with Carter was the easiest thing Paulius had ever done. Carter was hilarious. Even if his fake Jersey accent wasn’t good enough. He’d been practising that for years, thank you very much. Paulius had told Carter as much but apparently it had all been a waste. He felt embarrassed having bumped into Carter in the first place but the buildings were wonderful and he had been busy sketching one of them on his arm for his soulmate. It was nice to speak to someone from Samwell. Especially considering he was completely lost. Plus it helped that Carter was gorgeous. Not that he was going to do anything about it. He was in love with his soulmate, no matter what they looked like, thank you very much. As they continued to talk they found out they had a lot in common but Paulius soon realised the time and just knew he was going to be late for his team’s ice time before the game.

“Sorry, I gotta go,” he said as he shuffled through his bag for a pen. Grabbing Carter’s arm he quickly wrote down his number. “I’ve got to get to the ice rink but message me up if you want to keep in touch. It was nice talking to you.”

He barely gave Carter time to reply before he made a beeline for the door and began to sprint towards what he assumed was the way to the ice rink. Coach was gonna kill him if he was late. Plus his teammates would chirp the hell out of him if he missed practice because he was having coffee with some boy. Especially after all the stuff he said about his soulmate.

“Finally,” Fritz sighed when Paulius ran into the locker room. “Hurry up, we have a game tonight, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry. I took a walk by the river.” Paulius quickly got to work getting ready, trying to ignore all the shaking heads. He wasn’t that late anyway.

“Took a walk,” Charlie laughed. “Jeez, Peet, couldn’t find anything more exciting to do?”

“Piss o-” The laughter died in Paulius’ throat as he stared down at his arm. There was his name. His number. Right there on his arm. In his handwriting. That meant that that beautiful dork who blushed bright red when his New Jersey accent thickened was the same beautiful dork that got excited about Greek history and red velvet Pop Tarts. Who likes the Devils and couldn’t ride a bike until he was thirteen. Who knocked out his last baby tooth falling into a pole and can’t swim to save his life. Who wrote beautiful songs that made Paulius’ heart flutter and sent reassuring messages when Paulius couldn’t even remember how to breathe. The one who helped by writing answers to Paulius’ math test on his arm whilst he was off sick. The same beautiful dork that made Paulius feel like the luckiest man in the entire world.

“Oi, Peet, hurry the fuck up!” Fritz yelled, bring Paulius back to his senses. “I’m going grey over here.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Paulius replied, not taking his eyes away from his arm. “I’ll be right out.”

Taking a deep breath Paulius finally continued to get his pads on, eyes lingering every now and then at his arm. He knew his soulmate’s name now. Knew what he looked like, what coffee he liked to drink, how his eyes shined. How had they managed to go through coffee without mentioning hockey? Right now he didn’t have time to dwell on it, he had to go out there and get ready to slam into Beetz. He would just have to look out for Enniss later during the match. Not that he would have a lot of time to talk with one another on the ice or after that even. They had to get the bus after the match back home. Sighing Paulius finished lacing up his skates and went to join his team on the ice before Coach yelled at him. He’d waiting this long a little longer couldn’t hurt.

 

-

 

The match was tough. Although any match against Samwell was bound to be rough. Plus their first line was brutal this season. That number fifteen was too fast for him to even catch, it just wasn’t fair. Jacks, their goalie, never stood a chance. Coach was gonna chew them out, if Fritz didn’t do it for him. He had managed to bump into Carter a bit though. Every chance that he got he checked him into the boards. Soulmate or not he wasn’t going easy. A game is a game as all. Plus it was kind of fun? Even if they did lose in the end. It felt a buzz under his skin. The rush of having his soulmate so close, of knowing who he was.

The locker room was quiet after. Everybody showered and even dressed in silence. No doubt the Samwell team were busy celebrating in their usual loud fashion. It was kind of awkward. Of course he was disappointed about the match but Paulius couldn’t help but feel amazing. Sure he ached and they had lost but he felt like he was on cloud nine. It was like all those poems, all those songs and stories suddenly became clearer in his mind. It all became sharper. As they made their way to the bus Paulius tried his best to hide his smile, checking his phone to see if Carter had left any kind of message yet. Unfortunately he hadn’t but that didn’t upset him as much as he thought it would. They did just have a game after all. The writing on his arm was long gone now, lost in the midst of post game showers no doubt.

Watching Boston fall away in the dark Paulius stared at the window at the night sky. He sat towards the front of the bus, away from the prying ears and his disgruntled teammates. They didn’t need him making their mood worse. There was nothing on his arms still. No text either. Probably celebrating. Still, he wanted to say something. To let Carter know what he knew now. He owed it to him. To his oldest friend. Reaching into his back he pulled out the same green pen he had written his number with earlier and twiddled it between his fingers. He had to write something meaningful. Something that would make sure Carter knew who he was. Something that let him know that Paulius had fallen hard.  

**_sorry I left you in the coffee shop by yourself. you looked beautiful on the ice tonight._ **

Throwing his pen back towards his bag Paulius slumped his head on the window, the courage oozing away. Was that too embarrassing to write? Okay so he sent poetry all the time but this was more personal. What if Carter realised who he was and suddenly hated him? He had probably just embarrassed himself tenfold. Fortunately for Paulius he was dragged out of his spiralling by the vibrations of his phone. He didn’t recognise the number but he took a deep breath, ruffled his hair, and pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” the familiar Jersey rasp replied. “It’s me. Carter that is.”

“Oh hi,” Paulius smiled, his heart was pounding.

The pair remained silent for several seconds. Paulius could hear the music in the distance, the bass line pounding faintly. Carter must be at some party. Hiding away to ring him. He didn’t know what to say in order to break the silence. Honestly he can’t believe he managed to even send that message in the first place. It was ridiculous. Why was talking to Carter harder now that he knew that he was his soulmate? Plus he had caused Carter to leave a party, where he was no doubt having fun, just to ring him. Like a stupid, needy d-

“Remember your breathing,” Carter reminded him. The nerves had gotten to Paulius but luckily Carter was used to this. Albeit only experiencing it miles away through writing and scribbles on arms. “So your checks are brutal.”

“Ha, sorry about that.”

“Don’t be.” Paulius could hear the smile through the phone and it made him beam. “I always wondered what you would play like. Glad I finally get to know.”

“Well it’s how we do it up in Wisconsin, you know?” He smirked. Looking around quickly he made sure none of the team were listening to him or would notice his face slowly turning bright red. “I’m sorry I ran out on you earlier.”

“I still can’t believe I didn’t connect the dots, you know? Hipster glasses, sketching buildings? Hockey? I feel like an idiot.” Carter chuckled. “It was nice to meet you.”

“It was nice to meet you too. So,” Paulius trailed off, unsure what to talk about next. It took all his courage to answer the phone call in the first place. He was feeling a little bit trapped. He had been talking to Carter for years, why did he suddenly not know what to say?

“So… I really enjoyed our time in the coffee shop. It was a shame we had to cut it short.”

“I- yeah, me too.”

“We should do it again. Though perhaps for a little longer?”

Carter sounded just as nervous as he felt, which was sort of a relief. “I’d really like that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Then maybe,” Carter muttered. The sounds of the party still pounding behind him. “You wouldn’t mind it being… a date?”

The beating of Paulius’ heart stopped. He had hoped for years it could be more. More than just the friendly banter they had built up. He had feared his soulmate would never want to see him like that. That they’d just be friends. It was like all his dreams had come at once. “On one condition.”

“Oh?”

“You don’t still like the colour orange, do you?” Paulius smirked, Carter laughed loud and big on the other end of the phone and it made his insides warm.

“Damn. I’ll have to ask someone else then. Is that number 24 free on Saturday?”

“Fine,” he laughed in response. “I guess I can make an exception. Just this once.”  

“Thank you. You won’t regret it! Hey, I’ve got to go back in now but message me tomorrow?"

“Absolutely,” Paulius replied. There was going to be no problem about that. He would message immediately if he could. “I’ll speak to you tomorrow. Goodnight, Carter.”

“Goodnight, Paulius.”

The phone clicked off and Paulius leaned back against his seat with the biggest grin on his face. He had a date. With his soulmate. If you had asked him all those years ago if he thought it would end up like this he would have said no but, somehow, Carter had wormed his way into his heart. When he was little he had no desire to talk to his soulmate but now he couldn’t imagine a day without seeing that messy scrawl upon his skin. He didn’t know what tomorrow would bring or how their date would go. Heck, he didn’t even know how dating someone from Samwell (because to his Yale teammates that would definitely be worse) would go but he couldn’t wait to find out. Turning over to face the window Paulius allowed his eyes to fall and dreamt about tomorrow would bring.


End file.
